Ocio Lamp is among the ten finalists of the La Grande Bellezza – Il Bello dell'Utile Award

There are moments when a work seems to encounter exactly the context it was conceived for.

I am delighted to share that Ocio Lamp has been selected among the ten finalists of the fourth edition of the La Grande Bellezza – Il Bello dell'Utile Award, promoted by Starhotels together with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte, OMA – Osservatorio dei Mestieri d'Arte di Firenze and Gruppo Editoriale.

The jury, chaired by Elisabetta Fabri, President and CEO of Starhotels, and composed of leading figures from the worlds of culture, art, applied arts, fashion and design, selected ten works from the submitted entries.

Among them, Ocio.

The beauty of usefulness

The theme chosen for this fourth edition, Il Bello dell'Utile – The Beauty of Usefulness – is particularly close to my work.

Ocio was born from a simple question: what happens when an object designed to illuminate also becomes an element capable of transforming the perception of a space?

The answer is a lamp that does more than simply produce light.

Its centre is made of Venetian glass mosaic, arranged in a radial composition. When illuminated, the light interacts with the mosaic surface and expands beyond the physical boundaries of the object.

The result is a luminous aura that reveals not only the lamp itself, but also the space surrounding it.

A contemporary object, a Venetian tradition

Glass mosaic is deeply rooted in Venice's artistic and craft heritage.

In my work, I explore ways of bringing this material into a contemporary dimension, using it not only as decoration, but as a means of creating objects, surfaces and atmospheres.

Ocio was born from precisely this dialogue: the tradition of Venetian mosaic and contemporary object design.

Its essential form allows material and light to become the protagonists.

Ocio in Venice

Being selected among the ten finalists will bring Ocio back to Venice.

The work will be exhibited in September 2026 at Hotel Gabrielli – Starhotels Collezione, during the official Award ceremony and alongside Homo Faber.

This will be a particularly meaningful context for Ocio: Venice, the city where my artistic research was born, and an event dedicated to the contemporary value of craftsmanship and applied arts.

The winner of the fourth edition is Dark Sun and Me, created by Paolo Mangano, founder of Atelier Materie.

Being among the ten finalists represents an important recognition of the path I am developing around material, mosaic and contemporary object design.

Above all, it is an invitation to continue exploring new ways of bringing together craftsmanship, art, design and space.

Ocio

Ocio is a wall-mounted lamp made with Venetian glass mosaic.

Diameter: 24 cm.

It is an object conceived to enter a space through light, transforming the wall and everything around it.

For information about Ocio, availability, projects and collaborations, please contact me directly.